Effective, Fervent Prayers – Part 2

NEHEMIAH WEEKLY DEVOTIONAL

Is your spiritual life marked by the focused attentiveness that is required to stand before God?
Have you ceased from distraction so that you may present yourself fully before the Living King?
Is your worship a surrendered lifestyle that saturates your atmosphere with God’s presence?

Effective, Fervent Prayers – Part 2

As we conclude our two-part series on fervent, effective prayers, we are going to look at the instructions given by King Hezekiah to the priesthood and the historical context of those instructions. Hezekiah’s father, King Ahaz, was an unfaithful ruler who promoted wickedness and idolatry in Judah (2 Chronicles 28ff.). He shut the doors of the LORD’s Temple, prevented the lamps from being lit, and stopped all incense and burnt offerings.

He built altars for foreign gods in every corner of Jerusalem and even sacrificed his own son in the fire as an offering to idols. These actions brought the wrath of God upon Judah, resulting in the people being subjected to trouble, war, and captivity by their enemies.

Hezekiah became king at the age of twenty-five and “did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, according to all that his father David had done,” (2 Kings 18:3, 2 Chronicles 29ff.) in stark contrast to the evil actions of King Ahaz. Recognizing that the nation’s failure was a result of forsaking God, Hezekiah made the restoration of the nation’s relationship with God his first priority. In the first month of the first year of his reign, Hezekiah gathered the priests and Levites in the East Square of the Temple.

When King Hezekiah gathered the priests and Levites, he addressed those who stood at the very center of Israel’s spiritual life. His charge was direct, weighty, and rooted in Divine election. Revival and reformation are always preceded by the awakening of a surrendered priesthood – one that understands both its identity and its responsibility before God.

He instructed the priests to “Stand”; to “Serve/Minister/Praise/Worship”; and to “Burn Incense”.

What do these instructions mean for us today?

1. Stand   עָמַד âmad, aw-mad
   The first instruction is to stand before the Living God.
   The Hebrew ʿāmad conveys far more than remaining upright. It describes presenting oneself before the King, ceasing from distraction, and deliberately abiding in His Presence. To stand before the LORD is to withdraw from all competing activity and to persist in focused attentiveness until He becomes the sole object of our gaze. This standing is both submission and strength – a readiness to arise, to hold one’s ground, and to stand with God against the enemy.

2. Serve/Minister/Praise/Worship   שָׁרַת shârath, shaw-rath
   From this place of abiding flows the call to serve, minister, praise, and worship.
   The word shārath speaks of priestly attentiveness – of waiting upon God as a worshipper-servant. True worship is revealed here as a surrendered lifestyle, where the worshipper stands still, stops moving, and ceases from all other activity to focus on God alone. It is a service offered first to God, and then extended to others, marked by humility, faithfulness, and the willingness to be poured out completely before Him.

3. Burn Incense  קָטַר qāṭar kaw-tar
   The priestly calling culminates in the mandate to burn incense – qāṭar. This is the offering of lives given over to prayer, worship, and sacrifice so fully that the spiritual atmosphere is saturated with the Presence of God. When the smoke of consecrated worship fills the room, every opposing force is displaced. Persistent, wholehearted incense leaves no foothold for the enemy.

This kind of priestly devotion to the LORD cannot be reduced to an event, a program, or an isolated moment or two of heightened spiritual activity. It is a chosen lifestyle – one of continual surrender, sustained anointing, and supernatural empowerment. 

Through believers who choose to “stand, minister, and burn incense” through their prayers, God releases His Presence, maintains His fire, and prepares the way for enduring revival and restoration.

Here are some points to ponder – may they inspire your prayers become more fervent and effective.

• Priestly attentiveness and stillness before the LORD will birth revival and reformation.
• Surrendered worship ministers to God, and then flows outward in faithful service.
• Consecrated prayer fills atmospheres, displacing opposition with divine fire.

Lord, help me prioritize my relationship with You above all else, just as Hezekiah did. 

Let’s pray. Lord, I choose to stand before You, ceasing from all distractions to give You my full attentiveness. May my life become a surrendered offering of worship that ministers to You first. Let my persistent prayers be as incense, saturating my atmosphere, displacing every opposing force, and birthing revival. Amen.

This devotional is written by Pastor Steve Harris, the founder of Global Influencers, an organization that trains and equips leaders and emerging leaders to establish anointed communities that transform nations by restoring Kingdom culture from grassroots to government in the villages, cities, regions, and nations of the world. He is also the Content Development Assistant in the Nehemiah Entrepreneurship Community.